Five transfers that blossomed under Deion Sanders at Jackson State
Recruiting is about getting the best high school players on your team but the transfer portal has completely revolutionized the sport and will continue to do so. It’s something new Colorado coach Deion Sanders will have to utilize to win fast in Boulder - and luckily he’s already had success winning with transfers at Jackson State.
Here is a look at the five most-impactful transfers Sanders had at his old coaching spot:
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Daniels was an unranked wide receiver from Miami (Okla.) Northeastern Oklahoma A&M who signed with Western Illinois in the 2020 class over offers from Robert Morris, Tennessee Tech and Western Carolina. Now onto his fourth program, Daniels has completely blossomed and is one of the top receivers on Jackson State’s team along with Shane Hooks.
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Gaines was a low three-star prospect in the 2019 class who signed with Toledo and had offers at one point from Appalachian State, Kentucky, Rutgers and a host of MAC programs but instead went to Dodge City (Kan.) C.C. After a short time there, Gaines transferred to play for Sanders and this season he’s third on the team in receiving yards and touchdowns and has emerged as a speedy playmaker in the offense.
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A two-star prospect out of Orlando (Fla.) Olympia, Hooks signed with Ohio over Central Arkansas and UAB but his career never really flourished at the college level - until he transferred to Jackson State. He’s now one of the leading receivers on the team along with Daniels and has a team-high eight touchdowns to show for it as well.
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Wilkerson was unranked coming out of high school at Olney (Md.) Good Counsel and went to Delaware State where he put up average stats. He then transferred to West Virginia for a short time before heading to Jackson State where his career really blossomed. This season, the 5-foot-9, 204-pound running back has gone over 1,000 yards rushing with eight touchdowns averaging nearly 100 yards per outing.
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As a senior at Memphis (Tenn.) Whitehaven, Miller had nearly 150 tackles and seven sacks and picked Missouri over Cincinnati, Iowa State, Louisville, Memphis and others as a mid-level three-star prospect. After not really making an impact during his time in Columbia, Miller transferred to Jackson State and this season he’s the team leader by far with more than 100 tackles, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.